RAWALPINDI, April 12: It wasn't the kind of situation Pakistan would have wanted to be in going into the Golden Jubilee Test against India - the third and final Test of the series currently locked at 1-1 - at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday
with several players injured but paceman Mohammad Sami is said to have recovered from a back pain.
"He is on the list of 16 because he is fit," captain Inzamamul Haq said on Monday as Pakistan dropped fast bowler Abdur Rauf from an original squad of 17 players for the 50th Test against India.
But there were those who quickly questioned the logic behind choosing 16 instead of cutting down the squad to 15, claiming that it meant a question mark continues to hang over the fitness of Sami.
Pakistan will be without fast bowler Umar Gul, who was ruled out because of a back strain with all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, Shabbir Ahmed and wicket-keeper Moin Khan, also not available because of injuries.
The home side now have to decide what combination of fast bowlers to play after calling up Fazle Akbar, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan and Rao Iftikhar Anjum to provide backup to pace king Shoaib Akhtar.
"We will decide the exact shape of the team on the morning of the match," Inzamam told reporters. "The boys are all confident and we will try and put up the kind of performance we showed in Lahore."
"Our strength is bowling and I still believe that Tests can be won by bowlers," he said while pointing out that the side winning the toss and fielding first would be at an advantage on a greenish looking pitch that is certain to aid the pacemen.
Pakistan squared the series 1-1 at Lahore last week by scoring a convincing nine-wicket victory in which Umar played the lead role with six wickets and was adjudged Man of the Match.
India, bidding to win their first overseas Test series in 10 years, have left out Ajit Agarkar, Akash Chopra, Murali Kartik, Ramesh Powar and Mohammad Kaif for the match which sees the return of captain Saurav Ganguly.
Ganguly comes back after missing the first two Tests because of a back injury he sustained while fielding during the final match of the one-day series at Lahore last month. He had to rush home to seek treatment.
"I am fully fit and have been training, bowling and batting for the past one week," he said. For Ganguly, winning the match and with it their first overseas crown in a decade is a motivating factor. "It will be good to win the series and it is a motivation, something to look forward to. We hope we can make it from here.
"The important thing is that we have to bat and bowl properly and if there is a moisture in the wicket, it will be useful to bowl first." India also appear to have sorted out the problem of who to play as opener along with Virender Sehwag. It is likely that Yuvraj Singh would do that job after the omission of Chopra. But Ganguly said although he was not an opener, if it was required he would do the needful, this being a one-off Test.
